Report: Town 3-0 Stevenage

TOWN secured their place in the League One play-offs with a 3-0 win over ten-man Stevenage.

A double from Aden Flint set the foundations for the win with Gary Roberts also getting on the scoresheet.

Kevin MacDonald was forced into making one change to the starting line-up. With Simon Ferry out through injury, Raffaele De Vita stepped into his place on the right hand side of midfield while Youth Scholar Alex Ferguson took De Vita’s place on the bench.

On a warm and sunny spring afternoon, Town struggled to find their rhythm early on. Andy Williams and Adam Rooney both saw headers easily saved by Chris Day.

Town did break the deadlock in the 22nd minute thanks to the most unlikely of sources. A cleared set-piece came out to Alan McCormack on the edge of the area. The skipper’s scuffed effort took a deflection and looped up around the penalty spot. The retreating Aden Flint positioned himself to strike the ball and side-footed the ball expertly into the corner of the net.

McCormack dragged another shot wide before Day had to acrobatically hook Flint’s goalbound header off the line.

Just before the break the visitors were reduced to ten men. Dani Lopez appeared to react to a challenge and after a brief moment of fisticuffs, the referee produced a straight red card.

Seven minutes into the second half, Town doubled their lead. Andy Williams received the ball with his back to goal and laid the ball off to Gary Roberts. The wide-man shifted the ball onto his right hand-side and lashed his shot into the back of the net via the upright.

Roberts almost added another but was denied by Day before Aden Flint twice headed wide from corners. In between times, Andy Williams fed Roberts on the left and his low cross evaded everyone.

With 73 minutes gone, Flint scored his second of the game with another spectacularly taken effort. A cleared corner dropped to the centre-half on the edge of the box and his bicycle kick flew into the bottom corner of the net.

Towards the end, two substitutes had their own efforts on goal. Firstly Luke Rooney wriggled through on goal before drilling wide then James Collins had two shots at goal, hooking the ball wide then seeing his close-range shot saved.